Dandenong Ranges

The Dandenong Ranges are an area east of Melbourne. Hills and valley, ferny rainforest, eucalyptus, and countryside. 

Really, some of it was like walking through Jurassic Park.

And I half expected to see some dinosaurs. I would have been good with just one brontosaurus.
But not even a lizard...

I think my some of my favorite scenery was along the side of the road, but there was really nowhere to stop. The road just sort of (neatly) falls away to the side into a deep and steep valley, and well, since I couldn't really get a good photo of it, I have to say that the foliage is very dinosaur appropriate (you'll have to use your imagination).  It's thick, lush, green and vast, and probably much better experienced than read about. 

Apparently the area is at risk for bushfires, and there have been some pretty bad ones in the past. There are signs on the roadside warning of the bushfires- I think at least one sign  had a movable arrow that would indicate the potential risk to passersby. And apparently the people living in the area are trained on how to deal with bushfires.

It's a community effort. 

Since it's something that people ask, no, I did not see any kangaroos. (Yes for jellyfish, pufferfish, parrots, cockatoos, and kookaburras, but no, not the elusive lyrebird. No koalas, no wombats.) 

However, there were certainly kangaroo crossing signs similar to our deer crossing signs.  I guess the kangaroos in Australia can be sort of like the deer at home. 

Chocolate Soufflés

I thought maybe I should take a little photo break and insert a recipe at this point.

So, I'd been trying to find a chocolate soufflé that worked for me. I've tried a few times, but have inevitably found that the soufflés don't quite work for me as the recipes might suggest. They've turned out overall dry and crispy, mostly a shell with little chocolate flavor. 

But apparently, if something chocolatey is overcooked just a little, there's a good chance it will be flavorless. The chocolate flavor disappears with too much heat- it's cooked out of the cake or brownies or whatever.

I like a good soufflé with a thin and crispy shell, but a creamy, moist, slightly spongy interior. 

And so, in the search for a good chocolate soufflé, I've ended up collecting chocolate soufflé recipes. 

Not that I've ended up trying them all. I mean, I wanted to find a good one, but there's a bit of apprehension for me with chocolate soufflés for some reason. I want to find what I'm looking for, but I think I may just be disappointed with the effort in the end. 

Hm, I guess that would be a reason.

   

Anyway...

This one is based on a recipe I copied in Australia. I can't tell you where the original came from (so sorry). The good news is that I don't think I'll be looking for another chocolate soufflé recipe for a while. 

For a bit of extra decadence, add a shower of confectioner's sugar and a dollop of chocolate ganache to finish.

And just remember, a soufflé waits for no man. It'll fall, no matter what. Be prepared to pull them out of the oven, dress them up, and send them out to table.

Chocolate Soufflés
makes 6-7 soufflés in 4 oz (125ml) -5 oz ramekins

Softened butter for greasing ramekins
Granulated sugar for dusting buttered ramekins
8 oz (226 g) good quality 60-70% chocolate
2 T (30 ml) coffee or espresso
4T (56 g) unsalted butter, chopped into about 8 pieces
A couple pinches of salt (if using salted butter, omit the pinches of salt altogether)
3 large egg yolks
7 large egg whites
1/4 t vanilla extract (let's just call it a small splash)
1/3 c (60 g) granulated sugar 
Confectioner's sugar, for serving

(for optional ganache topping:
4 oz (113 g) good quality 60-70% chocolate
1/3 c (80 ml) heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C) with a rack set in the center of the oven.
Brush the insides of ramekins with softened butter. Spoon sugar into one ramekin and rotate the ramekin so that the inside surface is coated with sugar. Pour the sugar from one ramekin into the next, coat the inside, and so on until each ramekin has a layer of butter and sugar. Set aside. 
Place a medium pan with a couple inches of water in it over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, place the chocolate, coffee, butter and one pinch of salt in a large heatproof bowl over the pan of simmering water. Stir the chocolate mixture occasionally until completely melted and smooth. Remove the pan from over the pan of simmering water and whisk in the 3 egg yolks. Set aside.
In a medium bowl and using an electric hand blender, whisk the 7 egg whites with a pinch of salt and the vanilla extract. When the eggs are very frothy and foamy, slowly add the sugar all the while continuing to whisk until the mixture is glossy white and soft peaks form.
Carefully whisk about 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen it up. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold about 1/2 of the remaining egg white into the mixture until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining egg whites. Do not over mix- you don't want to deflate the egg whites and lose all that volume.
Divide the soufflé mixture between the prepared ramekins. 
Place the ramekins on a pan and place the pan in the oven. Bake the soufflés about 10 minutes, until the soufflés have puffed and risen above the rims of the dishes. 
Immediately remove the soufflés from the oven one by one with a pair of tongs to waiting plates. Sift confectioner's sugar over the top and spoon a truffle-sized dollop of ganache into the center of each if desired. 
Serve immediately.

To make ganache:
Chop chocolate and place in a small heatproof bowl.
Heat cream to a simmer over medium heat in a small saucepan. Pour the cream over the chocolate, let it sit for a few minutes, and stir to combine until completely smooth and glossy. If the chocolate is still not completely melted, place the bowl over a small pan of simmering water, stirring frequently until completely melted. 
Set aside until ready to use.

Sorrento (Mornington Peninsula) and Brighton Bathing Boxes (Melbourne)

It doesn't really have to do with food and cooking, we'll get back to food soon, but these are some really nice views. 

Mornington Peninsula is about an hour's drive south from Melbourne. There's not much land further south before Tasmania. Sorrento is one of the beautiful cities on the peninsula with some gorgeous beaches. 

Brighton is a suburb of Melbourne and the beach is home to iconic and colorful bathing boxes. 

Melbourne CBD

Flinders Street Station

Graffiti in the lanes.

Thai for lunch at Chin Chin on Flinders Lane in Melbourne's CBD. Dishes are meant to be shared so everyone has a variety of tastes to enjoy...

The crispy barramundi and green apple salad with caramelized pork, peanuts, chilli and lemongrass was fantastic (the barramundi is actually hiding under the salad). Cilantro, green onion, and mint rounded out the flavor- spicy, savory, nutty, sweet, aromatic... we unanimously decided we could eat it every day.

Dry curry 'pad ped' with stir fried vegetables, spice crusted organic tofu, kaffir lime leaf, and Thai basil included green beans, baby corn, red chillis and caramelized shallots. While all of us had eaten tofu in the past, none of us would consider ourselves tofu eaters- this was one of those dishes that could change that.  

Aromatic yellow curry of roast pumpkin, chargrilled tofu, and green beans. This one was a little coconut-y, creamy, spiced with cinnamon and star anise, red chilli, and Thai basil. Jasmine rice helps to soak up as much of the saucy curry as possible. 

The pumpkin honestly tasted like it could have been dessert. 

But there was a real dessert, of course. We decided on a palm sugar ice cream sundae with salted honeycomb (maybe you know it as a molasses puff or cinder toffee) and lime syrup. The palm sugar ice cream was slightly caramel-y/burnt taste, the lime syrup added a pleasant tang, and the honeycomb a sweet and crispy contrast. And it all melded perfectly.

There's plenty to see in the lanes and arcades around the area... 

Making rock candy at Suga. 

Melbourne's Chinatown

St. Paul's Cathedral